Game call apparatus having a secondary air passageway

ABSTRACT

A game call apparatus for imitating sounds of game upon receiving air exhaled by a user includes a mouthpiece, a reed assembly, and a secondary air member. Air is capable of entering and exiting the game call through the secondary air member, and the game call is capable of producing multiple types of game vocalizations, such as those of male deer.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.13/074,216, filed Mar. 29, 2011, of which is incorporated herein byreference as if set forth in its entirety.

STATEMENT OF FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to game calls, particularly game calls forimitating multiple types of vocalizations.

Hunters use game calls to imitate vocalizations of game, such as deer,elk, fowl, bear, and the like, in an attempt to attract game and providea close-range shot. In general, such game calls typically receive airexhaled by a user to thereby imitate the game vocalizations. Thespecific structures that create these sounds vary depending on theparticular type of game the call is intended to imitate. For example,vibrating diaphragm-based calls are typically used to imitate turkeyvocalizations, and whistle-based calls are typically used to imitatewaterfowl vocalizations. Larger vibrating-reed based calls are typicallyused to imitate vocalizations of deer and elk.

Due to the widespread use of game calls in recent years, many animalscan distinguish sounds created using a game call from vocalizations ofanother animal. Similarly, a single type of animal, such as deer, doesnot simply produce a single type of vocalization. Instead, most animalsproduce different vocalizations that have varying sound qualities. Forthese reasons, animals have learned to avoid sources of sound that seemartificial or simply repeat a single type of vocalization. As such, manygame calls often drive game away from a hunter instead of attracting itbecause they only superficially imitate a single type of gamevocalization.

As such, there is a need for an improved game call apparatus that moreclosely imitates game vocalizations than previous designs and createsmultiple types of game vocalizations.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, the present invention provides a game call that iscapable of producing multiple types of game vocalizations, such as thoseof male deer. Similarly, components of the game call replicate, to someextent, a deer's sound passageways (i.e., throat, sinus cavity,nostrils, and mouth) to facilitate improved imitations of gamevocalizations.

In another aspect, the invention provides a game call apparatus forimitating sounds of game upon receiving air exhaled by a user. Theapparatus comprises a mouthpiece including a wall. The wall defines agame call air inlet configured to receive the air exhaled by the user. Amouthpiece air passageway is in fluid communication with the game callair inlet to receive the air exhaled by the user. A mouthpiece primaryair outlet is in fluid communication with the mouthpiece air passagewayto receive at least a portion of the air exhaled by the user. Theapparatus further comprises a reed assembly that includes a soundingboard disposed within the mouthpiece air passageway. The sounding boarddefines a trough passageway through which the at least a portion of theair exhaled by the user passes. A reed is disposed within the mouthpieceair passageway and is configured to vibrate in response to flow of theair exhaled by the user. The reed has an upstream end proximate the gamecall air inlet. The apparatus further comprises a secondary air memberthat includes a wall. The wall defines a secondary opening in fluidcommunication with the mouthpiece air passageway. An upstream end of thesecondary opening proximate the game call air inlet is disposeddownstream of the upstream end of the reed. A secondary air memberpassageway is in fluid communication with the secondary opening, and asecondary air member inlet/outlet is in fluid communication with thesecondary air member passageway. Air is capable of entering and exitingthe game call through the secondary air member inlet/outlet.

In some embodiments, the game call air inlet and the mouthpiece primaryair outlet define a primary direction extending therebetween, and thesecondary opening faces a secondary direction generally perpendicular tothe primary direction. Furthermore, in other embodiments the apparatusfurther comprises a primary air member including a wall. The walldefines a primary air member passageway in fluid communication with themouthpiece primary air outlet to receive the at least a portion of theair exhaled by the user. A game call air outlet is in fluidcommunication with the primary air member passageway, and the at least aportion of the air exhaled by the user exits the game call through thegame call air outlet.

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the presentinvention will become better understood from the description thatfollows. In the description, reference is made to the accompanyingdrawings, which form a part hereof and in which there is shown by way ofillustration, not limitation, an embodiment of the invention. Thedescription of preferred embodiments is not intended to limit theinvention to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives.Reference should therefore be made to the claims recited herein forinterpreting the scope of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear when takenin conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a game call apparatus according to thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the game call apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the game call apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the game call apparatus along line 4-4 ofFIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the game call apparatus ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a mouthpiece of the game call apparatusalong line 6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an exploded view of a reed assembly of the game call apparatusof FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a primary air member of the game callapparatus along line 8-8 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a secondary air member of the game callapparatus of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of the secondary air member along line 10-10of FIG. 9.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring first to FIGS. 1-5, a game call apparatus 10 according to thepresent invention generally includes a mouthpiece 12 that receives airexhaled by a game call user. The air travels through the mouthpiece 12and interacts with an internal reed assembly 14 (FIGS. 4 and 5) tocreate sounds that imitate game vocalizations. The air and sound wavesmove into an inner air member 15 (FIGS. 4 and 5) before entering aprimary air member 16 and ultimately exiting the game call 10. The gamecall 10 further includes a secondary air member 18 that maintains air inthe mouthpiece 12 at a relatively low pressure, preferably atmosphericpressure. As such, in some situations some of the air passing throughthe mouthpiece 12 exits the call 10 through the secondary air member 18.In other situations, the secondary air member 18 instead serves as asecond inlet to the mouthpiece 12. In any case, the secondary air member18 facilitates producing multiple types of game vocalizations, such asthose of male deer. In a related aspect, the components described abovereplicate, with regard to their general shape and positioning, a deer'ssound passageways (i.e., throat, sinus cavity, nostrils, and mouth) tofacilitate improved imitations of game vocalizations. These aspects aswell as further details of the above components are described below.

Referring now to FIGS. 4-6, the mouthpiece 12 is a hollow cylinder-likecomponent that includes a wall that defines multiple openings and apassageway for receiving and transmitting air to other components. Inparticular, the mouthpiece 12 includes a game call air inlet 20 thatreceives and transmits air to an internal mouthpiece air passageway 22.The mouthpiece air passageway 22 is in fluid communication with amouthpiece primary air outlet 24 adjacent the primary air member 16 anda mouthpiece secondary opening 26 adjacent the secondary air member 18.The game call air inlet 20 and the primary air outlet 24 both face in aprimary air flow direction extending therebetween. In contrast, theauxiliary opening 26 faces in a secondary air flow directionperpendicular to the primary air flow direction. Such a configurationfacilitates air flow within the secondary air member 18 as described infurther detail below.

In addition to the openings and passageway, the mouthpiece 12 detachablyhouses the reed assembly 14 within the mouthpiece air passageway 22. Assuch, air moving within the mouthpiece air passageway 22 interacts withthe reed assembly 14 to create imitated game vocalizations. Referring toFIGS. 4, 5, and 7, the reed assembly 14 includes a thin cantileveredreed 28 that vibrates as air passes thereby to create the imitated gamevocalizations. The reed assembly 14 also includes a wedge 29 and asounding board 30 that sandwich and support the reed 28 within themouthpiece 12. The sounding board 30 defines a trough passageway 32through which air and sound waves pass toward the mouthpiece primary airoutlet 24.

The trough passageway 32 preferably has a relatively smallcross-sectional area compared to that of the mouthpiece secondaryopening 26. Such a configuration permits air to move into or out of themouthpiece air passageway 22 through the secondary air member 18depending on how forcefully the user exhales into the call 10. Duringnormal operation, air passes through the secondary air member 18 andinto the mouthpiece air passageway 22. However, if a user exhalesforcefully, air passes out of the mouthpiece air passageway 22 and exitsthrough the secondary air member 18. Such an action inhibits a user from“over-blowing” the call 10 or causing the reed 28 to seize (i.e., stopvibrating and creating sound).

The reed 28 and, in some embodiments, the sounding board 30 haveupstream ends 34, 36 (FIG. 4) that are upstream of the mouthpiecesecondary opening 26. This facilitates producing multiple types of gamevocalizations without permitting an excessive amount of air to passthrough the secondary air member 18 in some situations. In particular,if the user exhales into the call 10 without covering the ends of eitherthe primary air member 16 or the secondary air member 18, air vibratesthe reed 28 and passes through the primary air member 16 to imitate a“growl” vocalization. Furthermore, in this case the positions of thereed 28 and the sounding board 30 inhibit an excessive amount of airfrom passing through the secondary air member 18 which could otherwiseprevent the reed 28 from vibrating. In contrast, if the user exhalesinto the call 10 while covering the end of the primary air member 16,the air passes by the reed 28 without causing the reed 28 to vibrate,and the air then passes through the secondary air member 18. Air passingthrough the game call 10 in this manner imitates a “snort-wheeze”vocalization.

Furthermore and referring particularly to FIG. 4, the sounding board 30is preferably disposed between the reed 28 and the mouthpiece secondaryopening 26, and the trough passageway 32 preferably faces away from themouthpiece secondary opening 26. Such a configuration inhibits anexcessive amount of air from passing through the secondary air member 18and further facilitates air movement therethrough as described above.

Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5, the reed assembly 14 delivers air to theinner air member 15, which is a hollow cylinder-like component. Theinner air member 15 includes a first generally cylindrical member 38that extends into the mouthpiece primary air outlet 24 and is detachablysupported by the mouthpiece 12 within the mouthpiece air passageway 22.The first generally cylindrical member 38 includes a wall that definesan inner air member inlet 40 into which the reed assembly 14 extends,and the reed assembly 14 is supported by the first generally cylindricalmember 38 within a first inner air passageway 42 in fluid communicationwith the inlet 40. The first inner air passageway 42 delivers air to asecond inner air passageway 44 defined by the wall of a second generallycylindrical member 46. The wall of the second generally cylindricalmember 46 also defines a plurality of corrugations 48 that arecollapsible and expandable to vary the distance between an inner airmember outlet 50 in fluid communication with the second inner airpassageway 44 and the first inner air passageway 42. Such variationschange the pitch of sounds created by the game call 10.

Referring to FIGS. 4, 5, and 8, the inner air member 15 delivers air tothe primary or main air member 16, which is a hollow and taperedcomponent. The primary air member 16 includes a wall that defines aprimary air member inlet 52 at an end that extends over and isdetachably supported by the mouthpiece 12. The primary air member inlet52 is in fluid communication with a primary air member passageway 54that receives air from the inner air member 15. A portion of the walldefining the primary air member passageway 54 preferably conicallytapers toward a game call air outlet 56 from which air is capable ofexiting the game call 10. Such a construction generally replicates thethroat and mouth structure of a deer and creates back pressure withinthe call 10. This provides relatively mellow and tonally deep soundsthat closely imitate, e.g., male deer vocalizations.

Returning now to the opposite end of the game call 10 and FIGS. 4, 5, 9,and 10, the secondary or auxiliary air member 18 will now be describedin further detail. In general, the secondary air member 18 is a hollowhorn-like component that includes a wall that defines multiple openingsand a passageway for directing air as described above. In particular,the secondary air member 18 includes a secondary opening 58 at an endthat extends into the mouthpiece secondary opening 26 and is detachablysupported by the mouthpiece 12. The secondary air member 18 alsoincludes a secondary air member passageway 60 in communication with thesecondary opening 58. A portion of the wall of the secondary air member18 includes two elbow channels 62, 64 that together define a sinuscavity-replicating elbow-shaped segment of the secondary air memberpassageway 60. The elbow-shaped segment preferably abruptly turns 90degrees to cause a significant pressure reduction for the air moving inthe passageway 60.

Adjacent the elbow-shaped segment, the wall includes a detachable hornsection 66 that defines an outwardly flared segment of the secondary airmember passageway 60. The horn section 66 includes an intermediate wall68 that splits the secondary air member passageway 60 into two smallernostril-replicating passageways 70, 72. The passageways 70, 72 are influid communication with secondary air member inlet/outlets 74, 76 fromwhich air exits and enters the secondary air member 18 as describedabove. The secondary air member inlet/outlets 74, 76 preferably face adirection generally parallel to the primary air flow direction. Withsuch a construction, sound created by the game call 10 “aims” in thesame direction when producing either a growl or a snort-wheeze.

When using the game call 10, the secondary air member inlet/outlets 74,76 can be covered to create other types of vocalizations, such as deer“grunts” and “pops”.

The game call 10 described above may also be modified in various mannerswithout departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, thespecific shape of the secondary air member 18 could take other forms,and the secondary air member inlet/outlets 74, 76 need not face theprimary air flow direction. As another example, the secondary air memberpassageway 60 need not split into the two smaller nostril-replicatingpassageways 70, 72. As yet another example, various components, such asthe inner air member 15, may be omitted or temporarily detached from theremaining components of the game call 10. As yet another example, theprimary air member 16 need not taper towards the game call air outlet56. As yet another example, the one or more components of the game call10 could be integrally connected instead of being detachable from eachother.

From the above description, it should be apparent that the presentinvention provides a game call that is capable of producing multipletypes of game vocalizations, such as a deer growl and a snort-wheeze. Itshould also be apparent that the game call replicates, with regard totheir general shape and positioning, a deer's sound passageways (i.e.,throat, sinus cavity, nostrils, and mouth). As such, the sounds createdby the game call more closely imitate vocalizations, such as those ofmale deer, than previous designs. Furthermore, the secondary air memberreduces air pressure within the mouthpiece air passageway and inhibits auser from “over-blowing” the call or causing the reed to seize. Thispermits a user to exhale air into the call at a higher rate compared toprevious designs, thereby creating relatively loud imitatedvocalizations.

Several embodiments of the invention have been described in considerabledetail. As noted above, many modifications and variations to theembodiments described will be apparent to a person of ordinary skill inthe art. Therefore, the invention should not be limited to theembodiments described, but should be defined by the claims that follow.

We claim:
 1. An apparatus for imitating sounds of game upon receivingair exhaled by a user, the apparatus comprising: a mouthpiece includinga wall that defines: a game call air inlet configured to receive the airexhaled by the user; a mouthpiece air passageway in fluid communicationwith the game call air inlet to receive the air exhaled by the user; amouthpiece primary air outlet in fluid communication with the mouthpieceair passageway to receive at least a portion of the air exhaled by theuser; a mouthpiece secondary opening in fluid communication with themouthpiece air passageway and through which air is capable of enteringand exiting the mouthpiece air passageway; a reed assembly including: asounding board disposed within the mouthpiece air passageway, thesounding board defining a trough passageway through which the at least aportion of the air exhaled by the user passes toward the mouthpieceprimary air outlet; a reed disposed within the mouthpiece air passagewayand configured to vibrate in response to flow of the air exhaled by theuser, the reed having an upstream end proximate the game call air inletdisposed between the reed and the secondary opening and the troughpassageway faces away from the secondary opening; a secondary air memberincluding a wall that defines: a secondary opening in fluidcommunication with the mouthpiece secondary opening, an upstream end ofthe secondary opening proximate the game call air inlet being disposeddownstream of the upstream end of the reed; a secondary air memberpassageway in fluid communication with the secondary opening; and asecondary air member inlet/outlet in fluid communication with thesecondary air member passageway and through which air is capable ofentering and exiting the game call, wherein the sounding board isdisposed between the reed and the secondary opening, the troughpassageway faces away from the second opening, and the reed assembly isdisposed linearly between the game call air inlet and the mouthpieceprimary air outlet.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the game callair inlet and the mouthpiece primary air outlet define a primarydirection extending therebetween, and the secondary opening faces asecondary direction generally perpendicular to the primary direction. 3.The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the secondary air member inlet/outletgenerally faces the primary direction.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1,further comprising a primary air member including a wall that defines: aprimary air member passageway in fluid communication with the mouthpieceprimary air outlet to receive the at least a portion of the air exhaledby the user; and a game call air outlet in fluid communication with theprimary air member passageway and from which the at least a portion ofthe air exhaled by the user exits the game call.
 5. The apparatus ofclaim 4, wherein the game call air inlet and the game call air outletdefine a primary direction extending therebetween, and the secondaryopening faces a secondary direction generally perpendicular to theprimary direction.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the secondaryair member inlet/outlet generally faces the primary direction.
 7. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the trough passageway has a firstcross-sectional area, the secondary opening has a second cross-sectionalarea, and the second cross-sectional area is greater than the firstcross-sectional area.
 8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the game callair inlet and the game call air outlet define a primary directionextending therebetween, and the secondary opening faces a secondarydirection generally perpendicular to the primary direction.
 9. Anapparatus for imitating sounds of game upon receiving air exhaled by auser, the apparatus comprising: a mouthpiece including a wall thatdefines: a game call air inlet configured to receive the air exhaled bythe user; a mouthpiece air passageway in fluid communication with thegame call air inlet to receive the air exhaled by the user; a mouthpiecemain air outlet in fluid communication with the mouthpiece airpassageway to receive at least a portion of the air exhaled by the user;a mouthpiece auxiliary opening in fluid communication with themouthpiece air passageway and through which air is capable of enteringand exiting the mouthpiece air passageway; a reed assembly including: asounding board disposed within the mouthpiece air passageway; a reeddisposed within the mouthpiece air passageway and configured to vibratein response to flow of the air exhaled by the user, an upstream end ofthe reed being disposed upstream of the mouthpiece auxiliary opening anda downstream end of the reed being disposed downstream of the mouthpieceauxiliary opening; a main air member including a wall that defines: amain air member passageway in fluid communication with the mouthpieceair passageway to receive at least a portion of the air exhaled by theuser; a game call air outlet in fluid communication with the main airmember passageway and from which the at least a portion of the airexhaled by the user exits the game call; an auxiliary air memberincluding a wall that defines: an auxiliary air member passageway influid communication with the mouthpiece auxiliary opening; and anauxiliary air member inlet/outlet in fluid communication with theauxiliary air member passageway and through which air is capable ofentering and exiting the game call, wherein the sounding board defines atrough passageway through which the at least a portion of the airexhaled by the user passes from the mouthpiece air passageway to themain air member passageway, the trough passageway having a firstcross-sectional area, the mouthpiece auxiliary opening having a secondcross-sectional area, and the second cross-sectional area being greaterthan the first cross-sectional area, and the reed assembly is disposedlinearly between the game call air inlet and the game call air outlet.10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the game call air inlet and thegame call air outlet define a main direction extending therebetween, andthe mouthpiece auxiliary opening faces an auxiliary direction generallyperpendicular to the main direction.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10,wherein the sounding board is disposed between the reed and themouthpiece auxiliary opening and the trough passageway faces away fromthe mouthpiece auxiliary opening.
 12. The apparatus of claim 9, whereinthe sounding board is disposed between the reed and the mouthpieceauxiliary opening and the trough passageway faces away from themouthpiece auxiliary opening.
 13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein thegame call air inlet and the game call air outlet define a main directionextending therebetween, and the mouthpiece auxiliary opening faces anauxiliary direction generally perpendicular to the main direction. 14.The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the auxiliary air member inlet/outletgenerally faces the main direction.